Politkovskaya case requires a vigorous and independent investigation, says OSCE media freedom representative

VIENNA, 10 September 2007 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, commended recent reports of progress in the cases of murdered journalists Anna Politkovskaya and Igor Domnikov, but warned that violence against journalists can end only if those ultimately responsible are identified and prosecuted without political interference.

"The welcome announcement in the Politkovskaya case was unfortunately accompanied by unsubstantiated political allusions, and followed by news of procedural mistakes," said Haraszti. "The ensuing uncertainty underlines the need for a more vigorous and more independent investigation."

The Representative was referring to Chief Prosecutor Yuri Chayka's statement on 27 August about ten arrests in the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, the internationally recognized reporter for the Moscow newspaper Novaya Gazeta whose murder in October 2006 shook the Russian and international communities.

Haraszti also praised the 20 August verdict of a court in Kazan, convicting five members of a criminal gang for the murder in 2000 of Igor Domnikov, a journalist who also worked for Novaya Gazeta. The head of the criminal group and one member received life sentences, while the remaining three were sentenced to prison terms of up to 25 years.

"This encouraging conviction was the first since 2000 for the contracted murder of a journalist over his or her writing, but the prosecution failed to present the persons who ordered the killing," he said.

Haraszti added: "After many cases involving the murders of journalists, partial progress in the investigations can not calm society's worries for freedom of speech. Free scrutiny of public issues and uninhibited investigative journalism can only be secured by politically independent and professionally vigorous prosecutorial work."